SAM Launches Polymer Tungsten for Fukushima Radiation

Stanford Advanced Materials (SAM) the manufacturing favorite in advanced materials is delighted to announce the release of its new Polymer Tungsten for effective radiation shielding. This is a notable triumph in the move towards providing better radiation shielding following the Fukushima crisis in 2011.

A Japanese company has recently started to manufacture lead based underwear which is intended to be used as additional protection against harmful gamma rays, for those who are working very closely to the contaminated areas. The underwear is reported to weigh close to 7.5lb. There is a high demand for it, considering the effects the clean-up is having on workers. October 2013 saw more criticism as six workers were exposed to highly contaminated water, following another incident. Rita from SAM explains “although this lead based underwear is a move in the right direction, it is not wise to use lead in radiation shielding anymore. Indeed lead is an effective, low-cost and abundant radiation material. But we cannot ignore the impact it has on the environment”.

SAM is continuously looking for sustainable solutions, and their new PolyTungsten provides better shielding than lead in addition to being environmentally friendly. Taking this into account, Polytungsten material is the best choice for radiation shielding. It is already being used in medical radiation shielding, such as X–ray equipment and CT scanning devices, and perhaps there is room for it to be manufactured into underwear to protect those dealing with the still damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.